Patrick CoutureM.D., FRCPC(C), Ph.D.

Patrick Couture received his medical degree from Laval University in Quebec City. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a PhD in physiology at Laval University and the University of Montreal before heading to Tufts University in Boston, MA, for a research fellowship at the Jean-Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. Upon returning to Quebec City, he joined the CHU Research Center and the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, where he contributed to the establishment of a clinical research center focused on nutrition and lipoprotein metabolism. Dr. Couture is currently a professor in Laval University’s School of Medicine, and he was the director of the university’s residency training program in internal medicine from 2007 to 2012. Dr. Couture is currently the director of the Lipid Apheresis Program at the Laval University Medical Center, and he is also involved in the clinical care of patients with various lipoprotein disorders.

Investigate the impact of dietary fatty acids on lipoprotein metabolism in patients with diabetes

Diabetes and pre-diabetes are metabolic disorders affecting more than 15% of the world’s population. The prevalence of these disorders is currently on the rise, mainly due to the increasingly sedentary lifestyles associated with rising obesity rates and aging of the population. Because diabetes and pre-diabetes are so closely associated with major health problems such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, they have a tremendous impact on society’s healthcare costs. Significant efforts should therefore be dedicated to tackling this problem from a societal perspective. Dr. Couture’s interests in nutrition led him to uncover the effects of various dietary fatty acids on lipoprotein kinetics and on the expression of key genes involved in intestinal lipid metabolism in patients with diabetes and pre-diabetes. His work is funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Fonds de recherche du Québec (Santé) and industry.

Education & certification

1987

• MD, Laval University, Québec City.
• License from the College of Physicians of Quebec (General Practice).
• License from the Medical Council of Canada (L.M.C.C.).
• FLEX (The Federation Licensing Examination) certification, New York State.

1991

• MSc in physiology (molecular endocrinology), Laval University, Québec City. Research Project: Regulation of 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in human breast cancer. Supervisors: Drs. Jacques Simard and Fernand Labrie.

1992

• American Board of Internal Medicine certification.

1993

• Residency in Internal Medicine (1998-1993) at Laval University and University of Montréal. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada certification (Internal Medicine).
• License of the College of Physicians of Quebec (Internal Medicine).

1997

• PhD in physiology, Laval University, Québec City. Research project: Molecular genetics and phenotypic expression of familial hypercholesterolemia and protein C deficiency in French Canadians. Supervisors: Drs. Jacques Simard and Sital Moorjani.

1997-99

• Fellowship, Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. Research project: Genetic polymorphisms associated with variations in plasma lipoproteins and coronary heart disease risk in the Framingham Offspring Study. Supervisors: Drs. Ernst J. Schaefer and Jose Ordovas.